Muffet: Hello Hello Hellooooo Dearies!~

Red: Apparently this is a thing now. Um...what's up...?

Asriel: You'll grow more comfortable as time goes on. Don't worry, everyone is awkward during these intros, so there's no need to be so embarassed...much.

Frisk: Burg is the word!

Chara:...Hey. What's up?

Chapter Start!

Another day has gone by yet again, another day for monsters on the Surface. After the incident with the feline monsters has somewhat managed to quiet down, things were slowly becoming smoother over time. There was still much to do. Many amazing things to experience. This was a new day, a new day for-

"I'm...so...huuuuunnngrrryyyy!"

...Ugh.

Red was lightly limping over the side of the couch, her eyes turned into lines and her belly rumbling grumpily in hunger. Flowey was slightly annoyed by her slight whining, and wished she would simply stop already. Chara and Frisk didn't mind her too much, and were currently just trying to get the hungry canine something to munch on. As for Asriel himself...he had no choice but to abide by her current wish for food...because he was just as hungry as she was. If not more.

"You're telling me...my belly tends to get really grumpy very quickly..." Asriel whimpered, his eyes also straight lines as he lies on his back, ears hanging off the side. If Red wasn't so focused on ridding herself of her hunger, she'd say that Asriel was being incredibly cute right now. The Prince gives way to another whimper as his belly rumbles again. "What I wouldn't give for something to munch on right now..."

"Dude. You realize that we have plenty to eat, right? And when I say plenty, I mean plenty." Chara deadpanned, sitting backwards in a chair with Flowey wrapped around his right arm. "It's as easy as simply picking something out and begin eating."

"But everything looked delicious, Chara! Don't make me choose! I really wish we had some Butterscotch CInnamon Pie leftover..."

"Really? The pie that you've eaten ALL BY YOURSELF?"

"You said you didn't want any!"

"My point is that you don't eat the entire pie in one setting like that, or else you won't be able to have ay for later! We've been over this multiple times now, Asriel!"

"But Chaaaarrrraaaa...it was calling out to me! The pie might have even been begging to come home to my tummy! I can't just ignore a cry for help such as that!"

"Yeah! You tell em', Asriel!" Red declared, suddenly sitting up at full attention, her tail wagging excitedly. "You have to blame the pie for seducing him and making him give in like that! Not even the Prine of Monsters can resist delicious and expertly crafted pie! I haven't even been around that long and yet somehow I know that the mere idea of shrugging off Butterscotch Cinnamon Pie is inconceiveable!"

Chara rolled his eyes and folded his arms. "You two are crazy about cinnamon and I'm not quite sure how I feel about it. Aside from simple annoyance."

Red pouted, puffing her cheeks. "Oh. So I guess that you're so much better, with your little taste for chocolate and all that?"

"Chocolate is a very mature flavor, Pinky!"

"You making fun of my hair?! What about your little pink cheeks that Muffet likes to pinch?"

"That's totally different!"

Red huffed as she stands up and walked over to Chara with her paws on her hips, her tail wagging in annoyance. "You know what? I'm not sure how I feel about someone who's shorter than his brother trying to give me lectures about chocolate flavors and the color pink." Chara blinked in utter disbelief as she actually went there with him. Asriel looked towards him with an awkward shrug of his shoulders, not really wishing to get in the middle of something like this. In the end, Chara could only crawl up against the edge of the room, curl up and whimper pathetically.

"It's not my fault...Asriel got a freaking growth spurt...I used to be the tallest...it's not fair...I'm the oldest. Older brothers are supposed to be the tallest..." It would seem that he forgot about the strange dynamic that is the skeleton brothers. Or else he would have ceased using that portion of his complaints a long time ago.

Frisk sighed as he sheepshly rubbed his neck. Flowey rolled his eyes as he moved away from Chara and instead wrappeed around Frisk's shoulder. "You're all a bunch of babies, ya know that? To think that you're each obssessing over something that has little or no value in the slightest."

Asriel gasped, placing his paws over his chest with a look of utter offence. "Flowey! That's not a nice thing to say about one of the most amazing flavors in the world! You've gotta treat a flavor like that with love and respect! it's what it truly deserves! Red agrees with me! Frisk agrees with me! Chara is more passionate about the chocolate, but what truly matters is the passionate part! We feel strongly for these things, so I feel obligated to defend the honor of cinnamon whenever and however I possibly can!"

Red nodded as she clenched her own paws tightly. "That's right! We must defend the honor of cinnamon with the best of our aility! Mocking it will not end well for anyone!' Red pumped her fist outward to better demonstrate her passion. Then her belly goes and growls out again, and she whimpered while holding it with both arms. "Oh man...our passion of cinnamon made me forget how hungry I am...I really need something to fill my belly soon...maybe I can go other to Muffet's and she can bake me something yummy..."

"I might be up for that, actually..." Asriel said calmly, choosing to adopt a serene expression even as his rumbling belly was pushing him to get a move on and feed it. "Maybe we can catch up with her and see what she's up to today."

"It's pretty hard to determine exactly what she'll be doing." Chara sighed a bit. "She should be busy with her parlor, though since she has trustworthy spiders alwasy occupying it in her stead...like she said, she can pretty much extend her management via spiders."

"Indeed I caaaaan!~"

Chara slowly groaned as Muffet's voice cooed at him from behind, as she began descending from the ceiling, waving her lower arms, her middle arms holdng onto the web, and her upper arms cheerful patting her cheeks as she lightly stuck out her tongue. Once again, she had the courtesy to just casually let herself in...without any of them sensing her magic presence in the slightest. Chara blinked a bit in shock and awe as he recalled the last part of that part.

That wasn't teleportation. How the hell did she sneak up on me?!

"Hello hello hello! My dearest friends!~" Muffet beamed as she wrapped her arms around Chara and pulled him into a hug from behind. Chara blushed heavily as she casually sits next to him while hugging his arm. "Reeeeeed...ya feeling the monchies? Feelin' monchy?~"

"Yeah! You have something for me, right? You HAVE to have something for me, Muffet! Anything for my canine teeth to sink into!"

"Hmmm..." Muffet tapped her chin as she thought about her request. "...Well...Asriel and Frisk are little cinnamon rolls. Do you wonder if they taste good?" Asriel blinked in confusion while Frisk tilted his head curiously. "Ahuhuhu! Not to worry, dearies! I'm only kidding around! Mostly~" Muffet giggled cheerfully, which made Chara slightly nervous. What makes it stranger is that the two Dreemurrs in question didn't seem to register the hidden meaning behind Muffet's words. Or they just brushed it off easily and faked their confusion. The former seemed more likely, at least in Asriel's case. "Anyway, I know a place where you can get some monchies, Red! It won't be my place, though."

"Aw...why not?" Red pouted. The only thing she understood from that statement was that she was basically being denied her cinnamon for the moment.

Muffet giggled at how cute red was being, wagging her fingers. "Tsk tsk, and tsk tsk, Red-Dearie. It's absolutely fine that cinnamon has become one of your favorite things in the entire world, but it surely cannot be the only thing." Red's ears flickered, which indicated that her interest was indeed sparked. That was enough for Muffet to build upon and smiled mischievously. "Oh yes, Red. We're just scraping the surface of the massive sea of variety that is amazing food. Cinnamon may be the best for you, but there is bound to be many other foods that you may grow quite fond of. And not all of them are from my place, mind you!~"

"What does that mean?"

Muffet giggles again as she separated from Chara and placed a hand on Red's shoulder. "Red...Red my dear. You have so much to learn. But that's okay. One step at a time is always very important to consider when it comes to exploring the numerous foods we have in store!" She smiled sweetly as she looked Red in the eyes. "By the way, there's someone I wished to visit that might give you a better grasp on things. Just because some foods are simple, doesn't mean they can't still taste great!~"

"I don't quite follow..."

Muffet shook her head as she lightly patted Red on the head. "I believe it's time for you to meet my friendly business rival~"

(Later...)

"Grillby?" Red asked as she walked behind Muffet, and the Dreemurr Trio followed her as well. She was leading with her lower hands on her hips, and her two pairs of arms were folded neatly. "I don't think I've heard of him, at least not yet. And yet you say he owns a food place of his own? And that he's a fire elemental?"

"Mhm! Great man! Incredibly quiet most of the time, but a great man! Sans really likes to go there. Like, all the time. Though he's probably not there now since he's most likely at work today with Asgore and Toriel." Muffet said as she lightly turned back towards Red. "He had his own bar down in the Underground, and it was an okay size due to it being placed in Snowdin. But since he moved onto the Surface, he's able to afford a much bigger place for him to serve customers. Much more room, much more ways to serve. It's a really great place run by a really great guy, and it's for monsters and humans alike! Isn't that like...so great?"

"Papyrus is always complaining about Grillby's being very greasy, and the smell doesn't really do any favors, either. Though for Sans' sake, he tolerates it." Flowey added, staying attached to Frisk's shoulder. "It's actually a pretty decent place to eat, if you just wanna eat casually without anyone stupidly judging you based on what you wear or what you are. Grillby doesn't judge upon face value, which is why he's doing pretty well so far. At the very least, even if you don't like the place, you can at least acknowledge that he'd rather be fair and understand than anything else, which is why having a nice chat with him can be a plus as well. That, and his patience is pretty amazing. Sans has an incredibly long tab to pay back in the Underground."

Asriel smiled as he kept adjusting his scarf. "That...and it's simpy a great place to spend time with friends."

"And of course Mom doesn't want us drinking anything that might result in us ending up somewhere unconscious and having no idea how we got there. That tends to happen to Sans a lot." Frisk said as he continued following Muffet, beginning to pet Flowey's soft petals. He tried not to look like he enjoyed and appreciated the attention. Soon they came up to the location in question. The group looked up to see the name "Grillby's" placed upon the top of the building, surrounded by flames and glowing a bright warm orange. "Here we are. He's had enough gold to afford a new place. Perhaps he's added new features to it...?"

"Of course he has, Dearie! Upgrades!~" Muffet stuck her tongue out as she pushed through the door with all six of her hands.

She wasn't kidding about Grillby gaining a new level.

She was right about the bar being much roomier than his old one, backed up by the many more tables and chairs that's been set up everywhere. Not to mention the many booths that's been set in place along the walls next to a few windows. What was more surprising was that there was a second floor to the whole place, contrasting his old one only having one single floor, with multipe ceiling fans and an air conditioner for good measure. And of course there was a few by the counter, aong with multiple stools where one can personally order up with Grillby. Humans and monsters alike were eating peacefully, either taking their time with their food or ordering to-go because they had to leave early.

And of course there was an improved jukebox.

Nice.

The familiar monsters they saw among them were monsters that Red could definitely connect with. Dogamy, Dogressa, Greater Dog, Lesser Dog, and Doggo. Again, it was such a relief to see that Lesser and Doggo were alright after the strange ordeal a while ago. Muffet gently grabbed hold of Red's paw and lead her over to the group of canines, dubbed by Undyne as the 'Canine Unit'. Chara's personal preference for a name would be 'The Pack'.

"Hello hello hello, canine dearies! I have someone you might be interested in meeting!" Muffet beamed as she pushed Red forward, nearly making the pink-haired canine trip.

She blinked as she noticed their gazes upon them...though the only ones who weren't too focused on her were Greater Dog and Lesser Dog. Dogressa blinked as well, then she turned to Dogamy in surprise. "Oh my goodness...Dogamy! She's a puppy! Oh my god, she's a puppy!"

"She certainly smells like a puppy..." Dogamy agreed, smiling towards Red with a head tilt of curiosity. "Excuse me, young puppy. But do you mind telling us your name?"

Red nodded as she pumped her fist outwards. "The name's Red! I'm a bit new around these parts!"

"Red...? I don't think we've heard of you..." Doggo said, nibbling on the doggy treat currently in his muzzle. "But then again, we usually stayed in Snowdin, not really bothering to go to the other places in the Underground too much, so it might make sense that we didn't really see you before." Considering how they might not believe that Red had emerged from the Artifact,the young ones chose not to mention it and go with what they said instead. "Anyway, your name is Red? That's a decent name...uh...do you mind moving a bit? So I can get a better look at you?" Red was slightly confused by this, but moved to the side, and she was then seen within her vision. "Ah! There you are! Guess your name fits your crimson cowl and pink bow."

"She's my Ribbon Buddy!" Muffet beamed while clapping her upper hands. "We both like to wear pretty pink bows that make us all the cuter! Ahuhuhu!~"

And for some reason they keep them on their chests...they're useless at hiding growth...Flowey mentally deadpanned. Muffet seems to enjoy wearing it that way, while it was highly likely that Red either didn't notice or didn't care. Though in terms of Red, that seems to be what her crimson cloak does instead.

Asriel turned to the Canine Unit with a generous smile. "Red is our newest friend. And she doesn't know too much about the Surface, just like the rest of us. Though in her terms, we really have to work to help her adjust. And we thought that taking her to Grillby's would be a great place for her to try some more food."

"She's a hungry doggy." Chara shrugged.

Dogressa leaned closer to Red with a brighter smile. "A hungry puppy. That can easily be taken care of! Greater, do assist in getting the new puppy something to eat!" The dog in bulking armor barked cheerfully as he stepped away from the table to he could request some food from Grillby. Dogressa reached out and pawed Red's cheeks in the meantime. "Oh my! Dogamy, look at how cute and fluffy she is!"

"I certainly do see it, my dear!" Dogamy smiled, laughing at his mate's excitement over meeting the pink-haired canine. He was also the one to initiate petting her on the head, joined by Dogressa a couple moments later. Red felt her tail wag and her foot tapping from the simultaneous petting from the both of them. "We can thank Frisk for opening our eyes to the world of dogs being able to pet other dogs. We never would have come up with something like that on our own! The possibilities might as well be endless!"

"Let's not overdo it. It's just petting..." Flowey muttered.

Red turned towards Doggo again, still seeing him nibbling-smoking?-dog treats. "Hey. Why did you ask me to move so I could see you? I'm pretty sure I was within your sight."

"Oh yeah, that." Doggo tawned as he scratched behind his ear. "I have some weird disorder called Riddoch Syndrome. Basically, if something isn't moving, I can't see it at all."

"Wow. That sounds really cruddy to live with."

"Yeah, it kinda is. But I have the pack to help me around when I need it, and Undyne's been working with me too. So it's not to say that I can't find my way around at all. It's just REALLY frustrating when someone says hello to me, or they pet my head, and I can't even see them." On cue, Frisk stayed perfectly still, yet reached his hand out and patted Doggo on the head. His ears shot up and he looked around rapidly. "Huh?! What was that?! Who patted me?! I mean, who petted me?! Pet! Pat! Pat Pat Pet! Petty Petty Pat Pat!" Frisk gigled as he made himself known in front of Doggo, waving his arms. Doggo groaned as he lightly petted Frisk back. "Hah! How do you like it, huh? Ya can't just pet pat eople without even letting them know who or where you are! That's just being rude!"

Asriel laughed uneasily as he turned towards Red being continously petted by Dogamy and Dogressa, while Chara shrugged and pulled some chocolate from under his poncho, and began munching on it casually. There was rarely any time that he didn't have chocolate on him, especially when Muffet was within his vicinity. Though Asriel had to admit, he realized that this was working out a lot better than he expected. They were only trying to get Red something to eat, and it spawned a much more positive outcome than any of them expected. Though it was strange. He could of sworn that he was here to do something else...something jsut as important...

Asriel's belly grumbled out of frstration, and he whimpered once again. Right. He was so focused on getting Red something to eat, he forgot that he was hungry as well. Luckily Grillby had him covered, along with Greater Dog. Asriel gasped and quickly caught a burger wrapped in foil. Said foil was warmed by the food within, and he looked towards Grillby. He nodded softly as he saluted and bowed to the prince. Grillby was so humble...so cool...so ironic...

"...What the heck is this, and can I get more of it every single day?" Red drooled as she gazed at the burger in her paws, which was handed to her by Lesser Dog. " Why does it smell so amazing...I can't even take my eyes off of it...!"

Muffet patted her head gleefully. "In the words of our dear friend Sans...that is called a 'burg'. Short for hamburger and all that. It's a great reason why the place smells so greasy." She then wrapped and arm around her and grinned mischievously. "I'm quite certan you can smell how delicate Grillby works. The warmth of the bread...the juiciness of the magic meat...the fresh, amazing condiments...it really makes you wonder how delicious it must taste...how immersed you become within that first bite...doesn't these thoughts just make your mouth water? The anticipation must be unbearable, Red Dearie...Ahuhuhuhu~"

Why the hell is she making it sound so sensual?! Flowey shouted, his mouth twisted in shock. He then turned around to see Asriel...who was also drooling at the mouth. Not you too, Asriel?!

Chara facepalmed as Muffet teased Red with her own hunger, most likely on purpose. "Geez, Muffet. Why you have to tease her like that? Quit tormenting her and just let her eat the burg."

"Oh? She wants the burg?~"

"Yeah yeah! I want the burg!~"

Frisk smiled as he raised his hands with delight. "Burg is the word!~"

"Don't enocourage them, Frisk!"

"This is so delicious..." Asriel beamed, his eyes turned into calming lines as his cheeks were puffed with burg. "The burg is amazing...would eat burg again...all hail the burg..."

Dammit Azzy. Chara mentally groaned in disappointment.

"I wanna come eat this every day...and anything else that this place might have..." Red murred as she couldn't help but have her tail wag from the effects the burg has on her. She had to come back here daily, as much as she possibly could.

"Excuse me, Red?" Dogressa asked as she patted Red on the head. "I would like to ask you, do you live with Asriel and the others?"

"Huh? Well...I guess? I didn't really have any other place to go, so I just stuck with them."

The female canine smiled brightly. "If that's the case...then do you mind...joining our pack?"

Red's eyes widened at the prospect as she slowly placed her burg down. "W-What...?"

"I would like for you to join the pack, Red. I bet that you don't like having to impose on the Dreemurrs by taking up some of the space they could be using for something else. They might not mind that you live with them, but you certainly do. Their hospitaltiy is appreciated, but it doesn't leave you feeling very great. So you don't have to worry about putting the Dreemurrs at an inconvenience. We have plenty of room in our pack."

"R-Really...?" Red said in surprise as she lowered her eyes and tugged onto her bow. "I...I...are you sure that you would like me to join your pack? I mean...there's already like five or six of you...I wouldn't want to-huh...?"

Dogressa grabbed Red by the shoulders and hugged her gently towards her bosom. She rested her chin atop her head and closed her eyes. "Sweetie...I would be delighted if you were to be our pup. I can tell that you're incredibly strong...but that doesn't mean that we can't take care of you, right?~"

Red's eyes widened as she gently looked up towards Dogressa, then to the side towards Dogamy and Doggo. The former smiled calmly, and the latter did a double thumbs up. Lesser Dog and Greater Dog panted fondly towards her, and she suddenly felt much warmer. Grillby tilted his glasses upwards and nodded supportively. Asriel and Frisk smiled the brightest out of everyone. Chara was sitting in shock, wondering...then he turned towards Muffet, who had her lower arms on her hips, her middle arms folded, and her upper arms sipping some tea she brought along.

"Wait a minute...Muffet...did you know that this would happen once we came here?"

"Maaaayyybeeeee~"

Red continued staring at Dogressa. The one who offered her a true home, and a pack she can stay with. She was smiling fondly towards the new pup she barely knows, and probably realizes she's more than capable of protecting herself...but that doesn't mean she didn't want or need a family of her own. She's been thrust in a new world...then something like this is definitely welcoming. She certainly did feel much happier all of a sudden. It's strange. She only came here for something to eat, but she found something much more beneficial in the long run.

With this in mind, Red closed her eyes as she fondly returns the hug Dogressa was giving her, and nuzzled her bosom. A warm smile graced her muzzle as her tail wagged just as fondly. She was just so happy, and in such a short amount of time...she couldn't help herself.

...Mama...

Hm...it would seem that Muffet is much more than a pastry serving spider who gets pretty stingy with her money sometimes. I'm sure you already knew this, but this is one of those moments that truly proves it.

Chara: She's really living up to her promise to be Red's best friend...especially if she did something like this for her for no other reason than to see her smile.

Muffet: *Simply sips her tea as her spiders praise her for her kindness* Red has a long way to go in order to get used to all of this...so why not give her a pack to hang around with and look after her? That way she won't feel like she's inconveniencing the Dreemurrs, and she gets her own home. *Sips tea again, smiles brightly with eyes closed* Have to appeal to my Ribbon Buddy's happiness. We'll become ever closer. Ahuhuhu~

Frisk: Until the next chapter.

Asriel: As our Surface adventures continue!~